


I Won’t Let You Fall

by dearest_sparksandstars



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ice Dancing, Ice Dancing AU, Modern AU, PTSD, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24633436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearest_sparksandstars/pseuds/dearest_sparksandstars
Summary: After suffering a near career-destroying accident, Rey Skywalker takes chance on skating alongside Poe Dameron.A few months later, she must face her fears at the rink where she nearly lost her life.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38
Collections: Damerey Discord Shenanigans





	I Won’t Let You Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I watched so many Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir videos because this you don’t even know. 
> 
> This fic is loosely (loosely!) based on the Netflix series, Spinning Out.

Taking a deep breath, she peered down at the rink, chest tight as she watched the single skaters warm up. There was no hesitation in the way that they flung themselves in the air, each stroke of blade on ice incredibly precise. They flew across the rink at over twenty miles per hour, and yet didn’t waver for a moment. A single second of distraction could mean the difference between perfect execution and a career ending spill. 

A little over a year ago, she was just like them. She had no fear, confidence and skill outmatching even that of her father, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Luke Skywalker. So many people believed that she would follow in his footsteps, but one jump, a last minute change to the routine, had changed her course forever.

“Are you scared?” A voice came from behind her, and she leaned against the railing, the cold biting at her nose as she turned to face him. “To be back here, I mean.”

Poe Dameron, her skating partner, had been a wild card in her recovery. She had known him since they were children, and watched as his skill grew almost effortlessly. His amiable nature helped him to take to pair skating with ease, but it seemed, to the untrained eye, that he couldn’t seem to keep a good partner for more than a season. She knew, however, that Poe hadn’t found someone that could keep up with him yet. Through all the sudden switches, Rey was surprised that Leia had stuck with him all that time, even after her own son started skating.

For years, Rey had spent her days on the ice by herself, relying on only her instincts and technique to keep her steady. She only trained with the best, facing hardly any competition, but once everything changed, she only had one chance left: skating as Poe Dameron’s partner. She was at odds with herself, most of the time, but Poe and Leia had helped her face her fears, the smaller ones at least, and she was back on track beside a man she cared deeply about.

But here she was again, at the Starkiller Ice Rink, one step further than Leia promised they’d make it this season. Here she was again, in the place where she had cracked her skull open, the place that had haunted her dreams every day since.

This time, though, she wasn’t alone.

“Are you kidding?” she laughed, offering him a hand. He slipped it in hers, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “I’m scared as hell.”

The smile in his eyes dropped away almost imperceptibly. 

“But today is about facing that fear,” She nodded, meeting his gaze with determination, lips pressed together in i thin line. “Promise me you’ll make me do it, even if you have to drag me kicking and screaming onto the ice?”

“I promise, Sunshine,” his smile was blindingly bright. She leaned against him as he pulled her into his side, kissing her temple with soft lips.

Below, Finn was taking the ice to warm up, and he waved up at them with a warm smile. They’d all come so far in the last few months, but there was one thing that Rey was glad about; they had done it together. 

“Come on,” she sighed, stepping away from the rail. “We better go get some ice time before the Singles go on. We wouldn’t want to miss Finn kicking Hux’s ass.”

He laughed and they made their way to the locker rooms hand in hand, only ceasing their easy conversation to hold cold stares in the direction of Ben Solo and Zorii Bliss. Ben was her cousin, and the one charge that his mother refused to take on. He was determined to smite them, two people he’s known all his life. He took it even further by pairing up with Zorii, an ex-partner of Poe’s, the one that had stuck around the longest before Rey. The glare in the other woman’s eyes suggested more than a bit of jealousy, but Rey knew Poe well enough to think little of it; Zorii was his past, and she was his future. Despite their tendencies to bicker, Ben and Zorii were some of the most skilled skaters on the ice. The pair was one of their final obstacles in making Nationals, but even now, they weren’t what she was afraid of. She wasn’t going to let them win.

“Dear lord, when are they ever gonna stop breathing down our necks?” Poe laughed awkwardly once they were outside the locker rooms. “The look in her eye makes me think Zorii might bash your knees in with a baton.”

She gives him a look.

“What? Too 90’s?”

Shaking her head, she placed a quick kiss on his lips before sweeping off into the locker room. As she set her bag down, she breathed in deeply. A little bit of the weight on her shoulders lifted, if not for a moment.

-

Standing at the vending machine, she twisted the cap off the bottle, taking a deep, shuddering breath as she put it to her lips. The cold water pouring down her throat did little to calm her nerves. It did nothing to soothe her shaking hands or dry the sweat beading down her neck. 

Rey sat on the bench hard, leaning against her joined hands. Shaking her head, she sniffed. There were no tears shed on her cheeks, but a feeling of dread sat in the pit of her stomach, morphing into nausea that she felt in her fingertips.

Her costume did little to keep the warmth in her body, and she shivered slightly. That little girl from the deserts of Jakku just _had_ to go and choose ice skating. Her shaking hand came to the back of her neck, a thick scar peeking out from her hairline, slick with sweat.

There was no reason to be afraid, she knew that, not with Poe there to hang onto her, but still the fear remained.

“Rey? There you are! We're on in ten, and you weren’t...”

She looked up suddenly, and Poe trailed off when he caught a glimpse of the look in her eye. He stood there for a moment, as if he was unsure of himself, but then he kneeled in front of her, placing both hands on her knees. 

“Sunshine,” his voice dropped to something soft and kind, and a chill went down her spine, the feeling not from the cold. “I understand what you're feeling, and I can’t make you go out there, even if you wanted me to.” He paused. “You told me once that skating is like breathing for you.”

She peered down at him through thick lashes, the knot in her throat loosening slightly. 

“You’ve come so far in the past few months. Hell, you’ve pushed me beyond what I thought my limit was. I know you don’t want to give up, so don’t do it now. I know you’re afraid, but I’ll be right there with you, and hey,” he lifted her chin up so she’d meet his eyes. “You know I’d never let you fall, right?”

Oh god, she loved him. 

She knew it right then. She didn’t care if she never made it to the Olympics, she was blessed enough to have met him.

She nodded, feeling dazed by the revelation.

He tugged something out from beneath his collar, a necklace with a ring on it. She’d seen it before: it was a simple sterling silver band, a little rough around the edges, handmade and well loved. He had worn it every day in her memory of him, and she’d never asked about it, assuming it was deeply personal, and that he’d share when he felt comfortable.

“My mother gave this to me before she died,” he said, a hint of sadness lingering in his tone. “I’ve worn it at every performance since. Call it a good luck charm.” He paused, peering down at the silver band and chain, nudging it with his thumb so that it caught the light. “I want you to wear it today.”

“Poe, I—“

“Please, sunshine?”

His eyes glimmered with hope and something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Hesitantly, she nodded, and he beamed, hanging the chain around her neck, and tucking it beneath the fabric of her dress. His fingers brushed her scar, but she didn’t flinch.

Steeling herself, she pushed up to her feet, offering him a hand to help him up. Together, they took a deep breath, and Poe wrapped his arms around her. Relief washing over her, she melted into the embrace, confidence settling in her chest. 

A few minutes later, they were standing beside Leia, watching as Ben and Zorii finished their complicated routine. Despite his hulking figure, Rey was often surprised to see that Ben could be so agile. Shaking her head, she held his gaze as they glided back towards them. Ben didn’t spare a glance to his mother, pushing into Poe’s shoulder as he passed. Zorii shot a smug look over her shoulder, but it did little to shake her resolve.

_”Skating next, representing Blades of the Resistance, Rey Skywalker and Poe Dameron.”_

With one last affirming nod from Leia, they took to the ice, hand in hand.

Rey didn’t bother to raise her gaze to the crowd or to let her eyes flick to where seven judges watched intently. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on Poe’s, swallowing any nerves she had before. She wasn’t going to let Ben and Zorii beat them. She wouldn’t let her fear defeat her. 

She smiled slightly at him, which he returned by mouthing, _”I won’t let you fall.”_

As the music started to play, her motions fell into a detailed, perfected routine. It felt almost effortless as they spun together, breathing in sync. The only thing that separated them from the ice beneath their feet were thin blades of carbon steel, gliding with practiced ease. 

Shifting out of their first set of twizzles, her chest swelled as the crowd erupted in cheers. There was no turning back now.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Just them and the ice.

She drew close to him, tightening her core as his hands found her waist. Her mind locked in as he hoisted her up, throwing her up into the air. After several rotations, she landed, arms spread out like wings beside her. The crowd roared, and Rey felt the weight of her last performance in this arena fall away. There was no holding her back.

After a few moments, the melody shifted, the melancholy lyrics of “Creep” filling the arena. Poe’s smile warmed her instantly as they reached for each other again, dropping into a sit and catchfoot, the world whirling around her, keeping her gaze fixed on her raised skate. They stuck the end of the spin without a hitch, barely able to hold back smiles.

She pushed him away, her faux heartbreak shaping the rest of the dance as he followed her close behind. 

The rest of the routine passed in a blur. Following a lift that had her mounted up on his back, one skate resting on his leg, the other pointed back behind her, they split apart, his back turned to her as she reached for him.

Chest heaving with the exertion, she laughed loudly as he pulled her into a fierce embrace, the crowd’s roar becoming a backdrop to the joy that filled her from head to toe.

“You did it, Sunshine,” he gasped in her ear, kissing her cheek as they drew apart to face an entire arena that had risen to their feet. Raising their arms, they bowed to the judges, spinning around to face the other side as the cheers swelled once again. 

On the other side of the boards, Leia waited for them, hands raised and applauding, Luke standing beside Kes Dameron, both of whom were smiling widely.

_”Ladies and gentlemen, Rey Skywalker and Poe Dameron!”_

Hearts still racing, they departed towards their family. They threw their arms around Leia who laughed loudly, patting them both on their backs lovingly. After that, she flew into her father’s arms, and he embraced her tightly.

“I knew you could do it,” Luke whispered as she pulled back, placing a kiss on her forehead. 

Unable to wipe the smile from her face, she turned over her shoulder to see Poe laughing with Kes. These people were her family, and her heart swelled with her love for them.

Kes caught her staring, and handed her a bright bouquet of wildflowers, tucking her in his side.

“You did amazing, mija,” he said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “And you, too, I guess, Son.”

“Hey!” Poe mocked offense. Rey smiled and shook her head and kissed Kes on the cheek.

“Thank you,” she laughed as a blush spread across the man’s face, reaching out for Poe’s hand. 

The group moved towards the performer seating area to await their scores, but she tugged on Poe’s wrist so that he might wait with her a moment longer.

In the dim light of the tunnel, Rey placed a hand on his chest. He covered it with his own, a soft grin on his face.

“Thank you for the last few months,” she sighed. “I never would have made it here without you. You picked me up when I was at my most vulnerable, and you kept me on my feet when I struggled the most. Even if we never make it to the Olympics, I’m glad that I got to try for it with you.”

She paused, her cheeks flushed scarlet under his warm gaze. 

“Truth is, I love you, Dameron, and there’s nothing you could do to get rid of me now.”

He lifted his hand to her cheek, brushing away a stray curl out of her face. She pressed against the warm touch, and met his eyes with unwavering strength.

“I love you, too,” he said after a few heartbeats, and she beamed up at him as his lips came crashing down onto hers.

The scores didn’t matter, now, she decided. So long as Poe was there to catch her, she’d be content.

No hesitation.

No fear.

Just them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> I blame the damerey discord for enabling.
> 
> I’m not a pro ice dancer, so much of the routine sequence and lingo is probably kinda inaccurate (also I wrote most of this at like 1:00 am so if I missed something in my proofreading lmk). But I had a blast writing this, especially with everything that’s going on.
> 
> That being said, for my American friends: if you’d like to donate/sign petitions/help in any way to support our black communities, [here](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/) is a link to lots of resources that I found really useful. I also have donation commissions (sketches) open, information for which is available on my [tumblr](https://dearest-sparksandstars.tumblr.com/post/619960397459505152/ways-to-help) Or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-zy6sA_sH/?igshid=1gwbl11t827zx).
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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